Self-threading shuttle



Sept. 4, 1923.

J. NORTHROP SELF THREADING SHUTTLE Filed Aug. 11 1919 citizen of the United States.

Patented Sept. 4, 1923,

h umreozsars.

JONAS NORTHROP, OF HOPEDALE. MASSA SACHUSETTS'.

ATE'NT CHUSET'I'S, ASSIGNOR T0 HOPEDALE MANU- FACTURING'C OMPANY, OFMILFORD..MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAS- sELr-THREAmNd SHUTTLE.

' Application filed August 11, 1919. I Serial No. 316,546,

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JONAS Nonrnnor, a, residing at Hopedale, in the county of lVorcester and- State of Massachusetts, have invented cer' tain new and useful Improvements in Self- Threading Shuttles; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to an improvement in self-threading shuttles for weft replenishing looms The objectof the invention is to provide a. thread block for self-threading shuttles of simple construction such that loops which are thrown forward from thebobbin and catch over the beak of the thread block will be thrown off the beak, and also such that the thread will 'be prevented from escaping fromthe end of the thread passage nearer the bobbin whereby dethreading of the shuttle is prevented.

Afurther object of the invention is to provide a thread block with a leader of improved construction so that the thread may be delivered directly going through the delivery eye of the shuttle;

To "the accomplishment of these objects and such other objects as may appear, the invention consists in the improved thread block hereinafter described and claimed.-

Inthe drawings which illustrate the embodiment of the invention in shuttle blOCks of two'preferred types adapted for use in a left-hand loom and with right-band wind of bobbin Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a 'portion of a shuttle illustrating the invention as embodied in one type of thread block; Fig.2 is a plan illustrating the embodiment of the invention in a difi'erent type of thread 1g. 2. The self-threading shuttle illustrated .in

the drawings comprises a shuttle body 10 to the shed without 46 glock; and Fig. 3 is a section op line 3-3.

ery eye 13 by the improved thread block indicated generally. by the reference '14.

The thread blockis received into a recess formed in the delivery end of the shuttle, and is held in place by the threaded bolt 15 which passes through a hole in the shuttle body 10, and threads into a nut thereby hold ing the thread block in the shuttle body 10. The thread block is provided with the usual longitudinal thread passage 17 runn'ing the entire length of the block, and with the usual shield 18 and beak 19. These-features of the thread block may be'of any desired type, tw ofwhich in the present instance. have been illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, c and which are well known and familiar to those skilled in the art and form alone no part of this invention. i

The thread block 14 is provided with a.

guard 20-extended from near the top of the front wall 21 of the thread passage 17,

downwardly and toward the rear wall 22 thereof, and thendownwardly' in a substantially vertical directionto near the bottom of'the thread passage 17. guard 20 is bent around and extends toward the front wall and thence upwards to form a At this point the book The guard 20 forms with the rear wall 22 an inlet conduit 24 through whichthe filling or thread passes into the interior of the book 23. The book 23, and the vertical portion of the guard 20, form an interior thread passage which is in axial alignment with the bobbin 12 and through which the thread normally passes from the bobbin to'the delivery eye of the shuttle. The end of'the h0ok23 is curved as shown in Fig. 2

and is adaptedto permit the filling or thread to 'pass thereover in an easy and uninterrupted manner and also is of such heiglith that after the thread has passed thereover and into the interior thread passage, it is prevented from escape therefrom.-

The inlet conduit 24 leads from the top of the shuttle block downwardly ina scrolllike directionintothe interior of the hook.

23, and it is to beobserved that the scrolllike shape of the inlet conduit 24 materially aids in leading thethread into the interior of the hook 23, forthe reason that as the thread is unwound from the bobbin 12; it

naturally assumes a moreor less curved or i twisting, path so that the natural tendency of the thread is to'follow thevscroll-like con i duit 24 into the interior of the .hook 253. This feature renders the passage of .the thread into the interior thread passage oi the shuttle positive at all times. Even tension is maintained on the thread as it is drawn from the l vbbin 12 to the delivery eye Ill by a loop of felt 25 extended inwardly as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 from the inner end of the longitudinal thread passage. The loop of felt is firmly held in an operative position by clamping men'ibers 26. 27 so that the thread draws across the felt as it unwinds from the bobbin.

it is apparent that when the invention is embodied in a shuttle adapted for use in a right-hand loom the guard 20 will extend from the rear wall of the thread'block and also that the direction of extension of the guard 20 will be changed in both right and lettdiand shuttles when a left-hand wind of" bobbin is used.

Upon the first pick of the shuttle after replenishment. the filling, unwinding from the bobbin. passes in a longitudinal direction over the top of the shuttle block 14. where it strikes the upper surface of the downwardlv curved uard .20. and is uided thereby downwardly toward the mouth of the inlet conduit 2%. The filling. as it unwinds-"From the bobbin. has a definite helical movement. of a greater or less magnitude. which carries the thread through the scrolllike inlet conduit 2t into the interior thread passage within the hook 23. At substantially the same time. the filling passes down over the beak 19, and upon the return pick of the shuttle into the delivery eye 13 in the usual manner. The flat portion of the book 23 serves as a bearing surface over which the thread normally passes after the shuttle is completely threaded.

As the ordinary shuttle is picked from side to side across the lay with considerable velocity and force, and is stopped very suddenly in the shuttle box at the end of each pick. there is a tendency for the filling or thread as it unwinds to form loops which are thrown toward the delivery end of the shuttle. and which often catch over the beak 19 of the threadblock 14 thereby breaking the thread or resulting in the dethreading of the shuttle.

In the present construction. the guard 20 not only serves to diminish the tendency of the thread to form loops by confining it within the thread passage, thus preventing the escape of the thread by ballooning, but also acts as a delooping device. so that if a loop in the thread is formed and on being thrown forward, catches over the beak 19, the guard 20 serves to cause the loop to pass down over the beak so that upon further paying out of the thread during the next flight of the shuttle, the loop is caused to pass around the guard 20 and out over the end of the book 523, whereupon the loop is eliminated and the thread continues to run through the interior thread passage to the delivery eye in the usual manner. This feature is convcniently expressed as the delooping feature of the scroll-like guard 20 and is an important feature of the invention for the reason that while the formation of loops in the thread is diminished by the guard 20. any loops which might possibly be formed. are automatically delooped and cannot operate to dethread the shuttle. If'by any chance a loop in the thread should be formed directly on the guard 20 it will run off in this manner-over the end of the book 23 and do no harm.

' During the operation of the ordinary shutl tlc it sometimes happens that for one reason or another the thread either escapes from or does not lead through the delivery eye of the shuttle. In this event it may happen that the shuttle will be dethreaded upon the next flight thereof. The present invention provides leading means from which the thread at such times may draw directly without going through the delivery eye of the shuttle and which consist of the vertical and bottom portion of the scroll-like guard 20, It willbe observed by reference to Figure 2 that the outer edge of the scroll-like guard :20 is inclined at an angle from the vertical so that the outer edge of the hook portion 23 extends outwardly and upwardly from the lower part, of the scroll. It has been'found desirable so to incline the outer edge in order that the thread may successfully draw around the scroll as a leader so that the turn or" thread around. the scro l will not run off and pass over the end of the book when the scroll is functioning as a leader. Should the outer edge extend perpendicularly downwardly the turn of thread around the scroll would immediately run off and pass over the end of the book should it be attempted to'make the scroll function as a leader. observedthat the thread. after being conducted through the scroll-like inlet conduit. 24 into the interior of the book 23, may draw around. either the vertical or bottom portion of the guard 20. as a leader direct-.

1v into the shed. without going through the delivery eye 13 oftheshuttle. 'Asthe shuttle is picked from one side of'the'loom to the other, the/thread will then b'efcon-y It will be ducted down overthe beak 19 and into'the delivery eye 13 and the shuttle again' threaded in the usual manner. The leading: feature of the guard 20 enab1es the thread to i escape from the delivery eye 13 Without nee- V, a essarily dethreading the shuttle or breaking,

the thread.

i It is to be observed then that 'the guard I 20 has three functions: to prevent the es cape of the thread from the thread; passage" by ballooning or otherwise; to act as a delooping device; and to act as a leader from which the thread maydraw directly to the shuttle without going through the delivery eye thereof,

I "hile the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described it is to be understood that theinvention inay be embodied in other forms within the scope of the following claims:

1. A thread block forself-threading shut- 'tles having, in combination, a longitudinal thread passage, means, fort-gliding, the thread to the delivery eyeof the shuttle, and a guard for across the upper poxtionof the inne end of the thread passage to near the other wall thereof, and then ownwardly to near the bottom of the thread passage-and having the lower free end thereof curved to form .a

hook, said hook having its outer edge in- ,functionin tles having,

clined upwardly-and outwardly to permit of the guard .as a leader when the threa doe not pass through the delivery eye of the shuttle. g

.2. A thread block for self-threading shutthread passagef means for guiding. the thread to the delivery eye of the shuttle, and a guard for the thread extendingdownwardly from one wall of the thread-block and transversely thereof to forma scroll, the free end portion of which serves as a leader from which the thread may draw directly without passing through the delivery eye of the shuttle.

a, A thread block forself-threading mtles having, in combination, a longitudinal thread passage, means for guiding the thread to the delivery eye of the shuttle, and a guard for the thread extending from one wall of the thread block transversely across the upper portion of the thread pas I the thread extended from one wall' of the thread block transversely in combination, a' longitudinal sage to near the other wall thereof, then downwardly to near the bottom of the thread passage and then upwardly to form a hook, said hook having an upwardly inclined outer edge to function as a leader when the thread fails to delivery eye of the shuttle. v

4. A thread blockfor self-threading shuttles having, in combination, a longitudinal thread passage and a. scroll in the thread passage extended transversely across the thread passage from near the top of one wall thereof and having its free end curved to form a' hook, said hook having its outer pass through the edge inclined upwardly and outwardly in a manner to permit functioning of the scroll as-a leader. a

5. A thread block for self-threading shuttles having, in-combination, a longitudinal thread passage, means for guiding the thread to the delivery eye of the shuttle, and a guard for the thread extended'from near the top of the front wall of "the draw without passing through the delivery,

eye of the shuttle.

6. A thread block for self-threading shu tles having, in combination, a longitudinal thread passage, means for guiding the thread to the delivery eye of the shuttle, and

a scroll within the thread passage having its outer edge inclined outwardly to retain the thread thereon to enablethe scroll to function as aleader,

- Jonas NORTHROP. 

